Intimate
partner and sexual violence against women is widespread in 12 Latin American
and Caribbean countries

Partner
violence occurs against women from all socioeconomic groups

Washington,
D.C., 17 January 2013 (PAHO/WHO) — A new report published by the Pan American
Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) in collaboration with
the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that in 12
Latin American and Caribbean countries studied, between 17% and 53% of women
interviewed reported having suffered physical or sexual violence by an intimate
partner. In seven of the countries, more than one in four women reported such
violence.

The
report, Violence Against Women in Latin America and the Caribbean: a
comparative analysis of population-based data from 12 countries, shows that
between 41% and 82% of women who were abused by their partner experienced a
physical injury, ranging from cuts and bruises to broken bones, miscarriages,
and burns. Despite this, between 28% and 64% did not seek help or speak
to anyone about their experience of violence.

The
comparative analysis also shows that between 10% and 27% of women in these
countries reported having experienced sexual violence in their lifetime, either
by partners or by other perpetrators, but usually by men whom they already
knew.

The
report also highlights the intersections between violence against women and
violence against children. Across the 12 countries studied, women who were
beaten in childhood reported experiencing partner violence in adulthood at
significantly higher rates than those who did not suffer violence in childhood.

"In
addition to violating basic human rights, violence against women has serious
consequences for the health of women and their children and impacts heavily on
health services and health workers in the Region," said Dr. Mirta Roses,
PAHO’s Director.

This
is the first time that nationally representative data have been analyzed and
presented in a single comparative format that allows a snapshot of what is
known about violence against women in Latin America and the Caribbean. The
156-page report presents a comparative analysis of data from interviews with
more than 180,000 women in Bolivia, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador,
El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Paraguay, and
Peru.

“It
is our hope that this report will motivate decision-makers to invest more
resources in implementing evidence-based strategies that will prevent violence
against women from ever taking place,” said Alessandra Guedes, PAHO Regional
Advisor for Intra-family Violence and co-author of the report.

PAHO
is the oldest international public health organization in the world. It works
with its member countries to improve the health and the quality of life of the
people of the Americas. It also serves as the Regional Office for the Americas
of WHO.

LINKS:

Violence Against Women in Latin America and
the Caribbean: a comparative analysis of population-based data from 12
countries,
by Sarah Bott, Alessandra Guedes, Mary Goodwin, and Jennifer Mendoza. www.paho.org/violence